Something is New

 

“Their last album sucked,” a long-time fan of Canton, Ohio’s favorite indie-rock sons, Lovedrug, tells me. “I felt like it didn’t even want me to like it.”

But let’s not be so harsh.  There is a time and place for angst-ridden albums like The Sucker Punch Show—I mean, I sliced fifteen seconds off of my mile time thanks to their gritty third album.  It may have been caustic, but at least it was propelling, and it was real.

The band has returned from what some fans are calling a “disappointing record” with an EP that listeners are finding much easier to stomach.  I had the privilege of speaking with front man, Michael Shepard, one afternoon about their reemergence into the music scene after a chapter in his life that included the writing and release of the bitter album, a journey to the Himalayas, and jail time.

“I’m not very good at writing music that is not indicative of what I’m feeling or of the place that I’m at in my life,” says Shepard. “I guess, musically, I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve pretty blatantly,” which is one reason Lovedrug has always produced music that feels more like connective tissue than just empty rants.  These guys are making music that is image-loaded and dense—cinematic melodies and lyrics that are darkly poetic—and what results is art that is greater than the sum of its parts. But perhaps most important is its honesty, even if that means being abrasive. “I was just coming out of something in my life that felt very downtrodden,” says Shepard, who admits that he cannot lie when it comes to writing music, whatever is there, be it positive or negative, is what inevitably spills out.  They’re not apologizing for Sucker Punch, nor do they need to.

Shortly after the release of Sucker Punch in October of 2008, Cali-based Militia Group, went belly-up (bummer) as a result of the poor economy and left the guys without a label, though this is not something the band necessarily sees as a negative. Michael remarks that “it feels like a very fresh, new start to the band—we have a new sound going on and it feels like a new beginning, so it really makes sense that we’re starting out as free agents.”  Lack of label will not halt production either.  Expect a series of three EPs in the near future, the first of which is available now for download or pre-order on their website.  “Part I” possess a freshness and vitality that is absent in even their earliest recordings, and nods knowingly at youthful folly—something we haven’t seen since their debut release in 2004, Pretend You’re Alive. The tracks are indeed “uplifting” (to use Michael’s words), self-aware, and boast the band’s ability to craft with momentum.  Oh, and their guitar tone?  Organic, as always.

In addition to Lovedrug’s newness of spirit, it is their commitment to and appreciation of their fans that is a major player in the motivation of their current tour and musical endeavors.  Taking a “more conscientious approach” is how they intend to make a record of which their fans are worthy, and according to Michael, that band-audience relationship is long-standing:

“We’re growing up together. We feel like the music is maturing to the same place that the fans are maturing to and we’re meeting again on the other side.”

After the release of the EPs, the band will continue to tour and gather feedback on the new tracks, after which they plan to return to the studio and record a proper, full-length LP. “The last album was a kind of declaration of things that the band really needed to get off its chest and then breathe a sigh of relief afterwards,” says Shepard, a breath that has made room for what needs to be said now—something is new.  “It certainly feels like we’re on the right track.  There’s always a sense of not knowing exactly what’s going to happen right now, but we know that it’s good.”

Still want more Lovedrug?

Be sure to check out the most recent letter from the editor here, and see her best Michael Shepard impression.

Visit their website, www.lovedrugmusic.com, and preorder their new EP.